Marked
by JawlinesandCheekbones
Summary: During an assignment for the Queen, Ciel and his butler stumble across an old mining town in the America's - One that holds a curious link to Ciel's past.  Slow Developing Slash- Including  but not limited to  Seb/Ciel, Diederich/Vincent, PyrHead/James
1. A Great Vacation Spot

_Standard Disclaimer: All copyrighted content belongs to it's respective holders, including (but not limited to) the characters, names, and mentioned plot of Kuroshitsuji, and the characters, names, and mentioned plot of Silent Hill._

_However, most scenarios (aside from some flashbacks) and developing plotlines are mine, as well as plot concepts._

_Timeline: In the midst of their entanglement with the Trancy Household (post-costumed gala, pre-Ciel's capture by Claude), the Queen calls Ciel out for a quick job. Loathe as he is to visit the America's, Ciel is glad to get away from the trouble brewing with Alois and his butler, accepts the offer, and packs up for a quick trip to the old colonies._

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue – A Great Vacation Spot<strong>

* * *

><p>The air was heavy with the scents of baking pies and grilling hot dogs. Dust floated through the air unrestrained as the crowd milled about, kicking it up. Chatter and laughter permeated the small country street as rockets and sparklers lit up the twilight sky. One person, however, wasn't enjoying the evening's activities. The small, morose young boy looked up at the tall, dark man standing beside him.<p>

"I've had enough of this blasted country. When can we go home again?" Ciel scowled as a carriage full of slightly drunk Americans lumbered by, the wooden wheel splashing mud onto his leg. His butler chuckled as he pulled a cloth from his jacket.

"Queen Elizabeth is concerned about a number of disappearances in this area, and wants to make sure it's safe before beginning construction of the new Embassy. Once we catch hold of some sort of trail, then we can leave." Ciel snorted as Sebastian finished removing the filth from his skin.

"And what if we don't? Exactly how long are we to be stranded here if there's no sign of any sort of 'suspicious activity?'"

"Let's give it another few days, my lord. If we've received no sign by the next new moon, in four days, I believe, then we can assume all is clear and return to England."

"Regardless," Ciel groaned, standing and stretching. "I need a bit of air, somewhere _away_ from these heathens."

"I believe I saw a side road into a smaller town a bit of a ways down the path. If you wish a bit of a stroll, that should suffice. It did seem to be a lot more subdued."

"Fine, fine." The young lord waved his hand dismissively, and Sebastian went to fetch his master's coat.

"Leave it. It's too hot to bother."

"As you wish, bocchan."

As they started down the path, everything seemed to be going well. However, the closer they came to the side street, the more ill Sebastian began to feel.

'This isn't right,' the demon thought to himself.

"Bocchan. Something's wrong." The noble in front of him stopped and turned around.

"Oh? What is it?"

"I'm not sure. I just… have this sense of foreboding. Perhaps, this road has something to do with the disappearances."

"Really? Well then, I suppose it's worth our time to check it out." Ciel continued moving forward, a task that grew more difficult as a thick fog rolled in. Sebastian couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly, _terribly_, wrong.

"Young Master, I really don't think we should proceed any further. Something is… _off_ about this place."

"It's too late for that, isn't it? Look, we're here." The two travelers gazed up the road at a crooked, wooden sign.

* * *

><p><em>Welcome <em>_To __Silent Hill_

* * *

><p>Ciel snorted.<p>

"'Silent Hill?' An appropriate name. Place looks like a bloody ghost town." Ciel moved to stride forward into the deserted town, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Ciel. We should not. Be here." Stunned, the smaller boy looked into the face of his butler.

"We are here for a purpose, Sebastian. If there is something going on here, it is my duty to end it for her Majesty's peace of mind. What is going on with you?"

"I… I don't know, exactly. I just have a really bad feeling about this." Ciel huffed and turned back around, making his way into the small town regardless.

"Honestly," he sighed. "What on earth could pose a serious threat to _you?_"

Sebastian frowned. "Do not make the mistake of thinking I am invincible simply because I am a demon. There are other unearthly creatures out there that perhaps even I can't defeat."

Ciel's high, disdaining laugh pierced through the silence like a knife, echoing from the pointed rooftops of decaying houses, and scattering a few, decrepit crows from their post atop the withered trees.

"You're worrying far too much, Sebastian." The butler and the boy spoke no more for a while.

As they made their way further into the abandoned town, a grey matter joined the heavy fog, floating and wafting through the dank air like snow. Ciel reached out to one, and caught it on his fingertip.

"It's warm…"

"Ash." Sebastian had his eyes on a rusted metal plaque erected in the center of the square.

"Apparently, this used to be a mining town, before it was ravaged by a series of underground fires. The cause of the fires is still unknown… but according to the plaque they are still burning today. This," Sebastian gestured toward the floating matter. "Must be the ash from the flames, rising from the mines with the heated air."

"It's… kind of eerie… everything's so grey, so forgotten. Like, this town sits completely outside of time."

"That may be more accurate than just a metaphor. Look at the date on this plaque." The butler stepped away so Ciel could see.

"Nineteen-ninety nine… Sebastian, that's over a century from now!"

"There's more. Look at the day the fires began." Ciel's eyes scanned the text.

* * *

><p><em>Sadly, Silent Hill has functioned as nothing more than a tourist attraction since its bustling mining-town residents were forced to evacuate. <em>

_No one is quite sure how the fires began, but many of the old, superstitious crowd like to claim witchcraft, or a demonic presence. _

_Regardless, on July 8__th__, 1889, a vicious, unexplained fire broke out in the mines beneath Silent Hill, forcing hundreds of citizens to flee and many more to lose their lives._

* * *

><p>"The 8th of this year… Sebastian, that's in four days!" The butler gazed out silently over the forgotten town.<p>

"What does that mean, are we… have we traveled to the future or something?"

"No… I think what you said earlier sums it up best of all, bocchan." The two looked across the silent square. The road stretched out in both directions as far as they could see. The decrepit buildings loomed, but would not fall, and malicious ivy climbed the walls, working its way into the brick. The ominous fog lay a heavy feeling across the town, and the ash drifted in and out, in and out, casting an eerily beautiful aura upon the scene.

"I believe… we are somewhere _outside_ of time."


	2. Southern Hospitality

_Standard Disclaimers Apply_

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><p><strong>Chapter One – Southern Hospitality<strong>

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><p>The two stood there for a moment, neither entirely sure of the next move. A lone dog's howl echoed in the distance, and the wind picked up. A chill raced up Ciel's spine, and he was suddenly very cold.<p>

"Fantastic. As if this couldn't get any wor-"

"Excuse me for cutting in, bocchan, but perhaps you shouldn't say that particular phrase, quite yet." Ciel rolled his eyes as he wrapped his arms about himself. He thought back enviously to the warm, festive setting that he had been so hasty to get away from. He would rather be back amongst that rambunctious crowd than here, getting ready to go on another exasperating journey where nothing seemed to go right. A heavy cloth was draped about his shoulders, and he glanced up to see his butler, now jacketless, gazing pointedly at a spot in the distance.

"There. Down the street, there's a small café. I believe I see a light in the window. Perhaps, there's someone there who can tell us what's going on." Sighing, Ciel trudged forward, pulling Sebastian's jacket tighter around himself.

'For once,' he thought. 'A simple task would be nice. Like, 'Ciel, go fetch some bread for the palace,' or 'Ciel, be a darling and play chess with me.' Why does Queen Elizabeth always have to send me to some crazy, supernatural, conspiracy?'

A warm jingle signaled their arrival as Sebastian pushed the heavy door open. A small, mousy looking young woman stood behind the bar counter, cleaning a few of the glasses. She looked up when she heard the bell.

"Oh, 'ello… I'm fraid we've shut down for th'night, nasty weather you see…"

"That's quite alright," Sebastian flashed his charming smile, and the woman practically melted at his feet. Ciel rolled his eyes. "We're only looking for a bit of information, and perhaps some shelter from that horrid fog."

"Oh, oh of course! Well, I've just have ya'll sit down at this booth righ' here then. 'Ow about a lil somethin' warm fer ya." The woman bustled over to a booth, wiping the surface down with a rag. Ciel eyed it warily.

"I'm not sitting there…"

"You don't have much of a choice, bocchan. This is not our element, neither in place nor time." Sebastian picked his way over to the table, sitting down. Following, Ciel glared at the offending booth for a moment, as if he could will it into suitable condition, and then sat down gingerly.

"I'll be righ' back with some 'ot cocoa fer tha two o' ya." The woman scurried into the back, the heavy pantry door shutting behind her.

"Well, this gives us a bit of time to get ourselves sorted," Sebastian supplied unhelpfully, tapping his fingers on the dirty table. The glance he shot the hard wood gave Ciel the impression his butler was just as displeased with the surroundings as he was.

"That would be more meaningful if we had any sort of clue what this was about." A crackle of static intruded into the conversation, and Ciel shot the broken radio on the counter a filthy look.

"Perhaps when the… bartend returns, she can offer some insight. Nonetheless. Something very odd is going on in this town. That plaque wasn't just a prank. It had age on it." Giving in to his apathy, Ciel propped his elbows up on the table, letting chin fall into his hands. Sebastian gave him a look as though he was about to reprimand him, but let it slide. After all, they were not nobles or butlers here, merely two traveling strangers in odd clothing. Speaking of which…

Sebastian glanced over at his young master and had to suppress a chuckle. His suit jacket nearly drowned the poor boy, engulfed as he was in it. Ciel was staring out the window, watching the ash float down.

"It is… kind of pretty… in a tragic, destructive kind of way…" Sebastian laughed under his breath, and Ciel shot him a quick glare.

"You know what I mean," The boy mumbled.

"Yes. Yes I do." Ciel fidgeted under Sebastian's suddenly intense gaze.

"Whatever." The radio on the counter let out another garbled blast of static. The ash continued to fall. A resounding "thump" echoed from the back room. Neither of the two noticed.

"So. We're in a ghost town. Trapped outside of time itself. Any ideas?" Ciel lifted an eyebrow at his butler. After all, this did seem like his area of expertise.

"Well. There have been stories of places where something… utterly _devastating_ has happened, becoming pocketed in their own memories. It's as if a lingering impression is left on the ground, in the buildings, in the people, that causes the pattern to repeat over, and over."

"So… we trapped in a looping pattern of events? Fantastic." Sebastian chuckled.

"No, not exactly… it's not the same event, but it's similar. It's just… Well. Take Lady Elizabeth, for example." Ciel pulled a face. Sebastian laughed.

"Exactly. She leaves an impression on you. So, when you meet someone like her, you treat them in the same sort of way." Ciel thought about it for a moment.

"That… does make sense. So this… town, or whatever it is… something happened here that jolted it out of sync?"

"Possibly. They are only stories." Ciel sighed, tapping his fingers absently on the window.

"Those disappearances… It now seems likely that this town is involved."

"It's probable that something much more sinister is at work here as well." Ciel nodded in agreement.

"What were the names?" Sebastian reached inside his vest pocket, pulling out a yellow slip of parchment. He frowned at it.

"That's odd," he murmured to himself.

"What is?"

"This paper. It was clean, fresh, when I reviewed it earlier at the park. Now look at it." He slid it across the table. The bright, beige tone had been replaced with a sick yellow discoloration. Bits of the paper were flaking off in layers, and the ink had faded to a barely readable translucency.

"It seems almost like it aged a whole-…"

"Century?"

"Yeah." Gingerly, Ciel picked the parchment up, squinting to see the names. Where they were once clean and crisp, now every few letters were unreadable.

* * *

><p><em>C yl as n.<em>

_H y M so ._

_J me u d l nd._

_H nr T nse d._

* * *

><p>Disgruntled, Ciel slipped the offending paper back to his butler.<p>

"Is there _anything_ connecting these four names?"

"Not upon first inspection. However, after a bit of research, it turns out each of these four children had at least one parent from the same town in the colonies. The only girl, Cheryl, had two." Ciel stared blankly at his butler.

"That town… didn't happen to be 'Silent Hill,' did it?" Sebastian frowned, looking pensive.

"That's the odd part. In every report I could find, the name of that town had been blacked out. It wasn't as if it was confidential information, but it had been _scribbled_ out, viciously. Like someone never wanted to see that name again…"

For a while, nothing was heard save the static issuing from the weathered radio on the counter. Static, and the _tap, tap, tapping_ of Ciel's ring on the filthy table.

"She's taking her sweet time," Ciel muttered, impatiently.

"Well, I can't say I expected much from this… establishment." Ciel huffed and gazed about the dingy bar. A few memorabilia lay scattered about the counters, and several torn, ragged poster littered the walls. The olive green carpet seemed perpetually stained, and the rusty red wallpaper was peeling dreadfully. Nothing about the place seemed even close to reputable. Ciel swung his feet half-heartedly under the table, and heard the telltale _clink_ of something metallic. He started to reach beneath the table, but changed his mind when he saw the filmy substances and grime covering the underside of the surface. Pulling his head up quickly, he stared at his butler.

"Sebastian."

"Hmn?"

"Get that." The butler blinked at his impertinent young master for a moment, and then sighed, bending down to retrieve the small trinket. He set it down on the table with another small _clink,_ and what seemed like a century's worth of dust flitted into the air. Thinking about it, Ciel figured that was probably a good estimate, given the situation. Reaching inside Sebastian's jacket, he pulled out the white cloth he knew was kept in his butler's right hand inside pocket. He flicked it a bit, chasing off still more dust, and gingerly used it to pick up what was now obviously a small locket.

"Not the sort of thing you'd expect to find here…" Sebastian murmured, eyeing the tiny, once silver heart.

"No, no it's not…" Ciel examined the jewelry. At one point, it must have been an exceptional piece of metal work. He could see the small grooves where the gold leaf must have been inlaid, and the silver, though now severely tarnished, still lay smooth and unbroken. Ciel brushed his thumb over a small inset in the middle, where he surmised a fine gem would have sat. He worked his nails into the small crevice between the halves and pulled, but the locket would not open. Ciel huffed in impatience, and dropped it back down to the table. The trinket landed upside down, and Ciel could make out bits and pieces of an old inscription.

* * *

><p><em>My D rli R ch<em>

_An r bea ul by boy._

_I ve y r Eter y._

_Both o e safe._

_~Vi c t_

* * *

><p>Ciel rubbed his eyes, strained from the tiny, broken text.<p>

"How cute," he mumbled sardonically. His butler chuckled at him from across the table. Ciel scowled.

"It seems that as trite as this necklace appears, it is an important point of reference concerning the missing children." Ciel huffed again, leaning back away from the table.

"You think so?"

"Yes," his butler nodded. "Look at how it's aged. It's highly likely it's connected to our time, perhaps a belonging of one of the children."

"I suppose we should keep it with us then," Ciel sighed. He moved to drop it indifferently into the jacket's pocket, but Sebastian's hand stopped him.

"Please," he coaxed, a strained smile on his face. "Let me clean it off a bit first." Ciel rolled his eyes and handed the locket and cloth over. He tapped his fingers on the table, itching to get a move on and get this case over with. It was just… too weird. Certainly he'd been on the supernatural side of things before, but time had never been involved. That, and there was just something off about this whole town.

The static of the radio was the only sound filling the room for awhile. Sebastian quietly cleaned and polished the necklace. Ciel stared exasperatedly out the window.

"That lady, she hasn't come back yet." Sebastian paused and looked up.

The static grew slightly louder.

"The public area of this café is nowhere near well kept. Perhaps the back is many times worse."

The radio hissed and spluttered violently.

"This is ridiculous," Ciel spat back. "We should be out there finding those kids, instead of sitting here waiting for some blasted woman to get back with hot chocolate!"

The speakers of the small machine rattled with the force of the sound coming through.

"We can do nothing if we have no information, bocchan."

"We could search! The town is quiet, there's no one in the way to stop us! We could probably just walk into any bloody house we wanted and poke around! And can you please shut up that damned radio!" Ciel swung his arm out in a wild gesture toward the counter. At the same moment, the heavy door leading to the pantry burst off of its hinges, and sailed towards the small boy.

"Bocchan!"

A jarring pain jolted through Ciel's back. Groaning, Ciel glanced up through the dust into the concerned face of his butler. He shifted, feeling the rubble on the floor dig into his shoulder blades. Sebastian knelt over him, a wooden beam across his back, and the solid oak door lay smashed against the table and through the window where they had just been seated. He hadn't even seen Sebastian move.

"The hell…" he moaned, as the demon helped him sit up. A scraping noise echoed through the room, accompanied by that persistent static. Sebastian turned, opening up Ciel's line of vision, and the boy gasped. The woman from before stood hunched over in the middle of the floor, one leg bent at an awkward degree. Her arms dangled in front of her body limply, and her neck craned sideways at an inhuman, upward angle. Her mouth gaped open, far too wide for her jaw to be able to accommodate. Saliva leaked from both her upper and lower jawbone, her tongue and gums turned brown and green with sick discoloration. Her skin, too, had deteriorated; it was now a ghastly gray, filled with pockmarks and sores rife with infection. An ungodly screech ripped from her throat as she stared about the room with pleading eyes.

_Kill me. Please, kill me._

The voice echoed inside of Ciel's head as he locked gazes with the creature. It pounded in between his eardrums, humming in and around his brain. He doubled over clutching at the sides of his head.

"Se-sebastian… what the hell is that… that _thing?_"

"I- …. I don't know…" Sebastian stared at the creature, looking as confused as his master.

"I've never seen anything like it, either in this world or the next." The thing lumbered forward with short, halting movements. As it staggered towards them, Sebastian stood up, wooden beam in hand.

"Bocchan, get clear. It seems to be weak, but nonetheless I'm not entirely sure what will come of this fight." Ciel nodded and attempted to stand, but was felled by a burning pain in his side. The creature moved steadily closer.

"Bocchan!"

"The brand," he hissed through gritted teeth. "The brand's acting up… I can't…" Sebastian cursed, and dashed forward. The only chance of getting the battle away from his master now was to force the creature back early. Thankfully, the being was slow. Sebastian slammed the beam into the side of its head. The creature screamed, and a sick brown liquid that might have been blood exploded from the contact point. Sebastian swung again, and its jaw dislodged. It limped painfully back, lower jawbone hanging crookedly to its shoulder, whimpering.

_Please, please, please, please…_

"Sebastian! Finish it!"

_-SQUICK-_

Gore pooled on the ugly green carpet as the creature fell to its knees. The beam protruded from its mouth, the other end stuck out from its distended stomach. Sebastian gazed down at the filthy creature with disdain as it continued to twitch.

"Persistent little abomination, aren't you?" he murmured, raising his foot and slamming it into the disfigured face. It finally lay still.

Ciel gasped as a pain ripped through his head, settling into a dull throb behind his right eye.

"Bocchan?" Sebastian knelt in front of him again, smoothing back his hair, clearing the dust from his shoulders. The boy murmured, feeling drowsy and a little weak. Still, he batted away the butler's hand.

"I'm fine," he muttered, pulling himself up using the counter. Sebastian frowned.

"You're bleeding."

"Huh? Where?" Ciel yelped as Sebastian grasped him about the waist, hefting him up onto the dusty surface of the bar.

"Your eye." Ciel reached up to his face, blinking his eye as though he could clear it away.

"Not that one. The other one." Sebastian's fingers worked gently beneath the eye patch, lifting it up just far enough to see the closed lid beneath. The thick red liquid was leaking from the corners, as if Ciel were crying it out.

"Sebastian?"

"Hold on a moment." He removed his gloves to wipe away the blood, frowning at the amount still dripping from Ciel's eye.

"You too."

"Hmn?" Sebastian looked down at his hand. His own contract mark was rimmed with red droplets, threatening to pour out from beneath his skin and down his fingers. Sebastian's brow furrowed as he thought.

"Ciel, open your eye. I need to take a closer look." Ciel did as he was told. His eye opened. The contract shone a violent red. As his world went black, An air raid siren sounded in the distance.

* * *

><p>Ciel woke groggily, blearily blinking back haze from his eyes. The sounds of a scuffle echoed in the distance, and he groaned at the intruding noise as he wearily pushed himself into a sitting position. His head throbbed, and he pressed a hand to his temple. It came away red and sticky.<p>

'Blood… 'Ciel wobbled a bit, and then shook his head to clear his mind. It was a bad idea. The room pitched and spun, and Ciel found himself once again face down on the rusted metal floor.

'Metal… I thought it was carpet…" The boy gingerly sat up once again, this time intent on taking stock of his surroundings. He was still in the diner, that much was certain. But the room had changed. The electric lighting had dimmed, and was flickering _on, off, on, off,_ casting dark shadows throughout the building. The hideous green carpet had been replaced with a rusted steel tiling, with sharp painful edges. The once peeling wallpaper was now nonexistent; instead, it was a dark, mottle brown color, as if it was decaying, and dripped with red paint. The tables and chairs were knocked askew, some on their sides, others upside down, and some on the ceiling…

Ciel gaped in disbelief as one of the tables, now black with rot, stayed perfectly stationary on the dank, dark ceiling. Moaning, he reached for the countertop to pull himself up, but the moment his hand hit the surface it seemed to move, wriggling and writhing beneath his skin. He let go in hurry, stumbling back into one of the chairs. This, too, almost seemed alive, creaking in protest at Ciel's weight, dripping with fluid from the rotting wood. Disgusted, Ciel launched himself from the furniture as quickly as he had barreled into it. Finally getting his bearings, he looked around for his butler. The whole room had transformed. It stank of rot and decay, and was bathed in tones of black and red and blood and rust. The wood was crumbling, and the metal twisted up wickedly around the stools and the bar. The radio still lay on the counter, static issuing forth from its speakers.

'It would figure,' the boy scowled. He reached out for it, fully intending to chuck it through the shattered window. He had it in his hand, ready to launch it out of the convenient break in the glass, when he realized – the window was no longer broken. Instead, it had been replaced by a fully intact mirror, rimmed red around the edges where the rust had seeped in. As if its existence hadn't shocked Ciel enough, the figure returning his gaze from inside of it floored the child.

Vincent Phantomhive peered back at him, curious, with a broken radio held in his hand. Ciel hesitantly took a timid step forward, and the figure of his father took one cautious stride towards the mirror. He reached a hand out, and Ciel did the same. Neither moved before the other, their motions were perfectly in sync. Vincent's lips were moving, but Ciel could hear nothing. His father's brow furrowed, as thought he was studying his son as intently as Ciel was him. Then the door behind Vincent opened, and Ciel caught a glimpse of the very same grey street he had entered from earlier before it shut again. His father's reflection turned around quickly, searching for whoever entered, but no one had. Vincent dashed to the door, twisting and pulling at the knob, but the door wouldn't budge. Ciel stared on.

"Bocchan." Ciel jumped nearly a foot in the air as his butler's voice sounded from behind him.

"Sebastian, where were you? How did you get here?" The demon in question raised a brow.

"The streets out are either blocked or caved in, I was looking for a way out. I came in through the door, just now."

"Don't sneak up on me like that! Not after all this… weirdness going on."

"I assumed you saw me in the mirror, intent as you were on studying it." Ciel's head swiveled back around. Vincent was still there, eyeing Ciel with confusion. Sebastian was nowhere in the image at all.

"I… I didn't… Sebastian, what do you see in the mirror?"

"What an odd question," the demon mused. "I had assumed I see the same thing you do. There's us, and the room the way it was before all…," Sebastian gestured about vaguely with his hand. "This. You… see something else?" Ciel took a last lingering glance at his father.

"We should go. There's something… wrong with this room."

Sebastian snorted, gazing around at their surroundings. "As if it wasn't already disgusting enough with_out_ the rotting furniture and blood leaking from the walls."

"Blood?" Taking a second look at what he had thought was paint, Ciel had to agree. It was much too thick to be paint, and smelled of copper.

"The street entrance is no exit, between the blockades and more of those… creatures," Sebastian continued. "It seems our only way out is through the pantry. There seems to be a series of underground passages leading from it to other parts of town."

"Fantastic," Ciel groaned. "In order to get out of the creepy ghost town, we have to travel an underground path of probably equally if not creepier ghost tunnels, leading _further in _to the before mentioned creepy ghost town."

"That lip is not necessary, bocchan," Sebastian sighed, dropping to one knee. "Before we begin, however, let me see your eye." Ciel stood still as Sebastian brushed the hair from his face with a warm, wet hand. For the first time, Ciel noticed the blood that was splattered across Sebastian's face and torso, and nearly soaked Sebastian's arms to the elbows. Sebastian noticed his thinly veiled concern.

"Oh, it isn't mine," he assured Ciel, taking care not to get more of it on his ward.

"There were a lot more then, of those creatures?" Sebastian sighed, breath brushing against Ciel's cheek, making him shiver.

"Oh yes. I think something here has reacted negatively with the contract." Ciel looked down at Sebastian's left hand and saw the strip of cloth firmly bound around his own insignia.

"The mark may be aggravating, or even drawing the creatures to you…"

"Or making things change…"

"Yes." Sebastian looked solemn as he examined Ciel's eye. It was back to its usual shade of violet, but was still shining as brightly as when Ciel would give him an order. He pulled the boy's eye patch from his vest, and fit it snugly around his young master's head.

"I think it's best we keep this covered up for now." Ciel nodded his agreement as Sebastian brushed a few more strands from his forehead. His butler then reached for a small green box on the counter.

"I found this outside. You cracked your temple on the floor pretty hard earlier. There's some gauze and antiseptic in here that should help." Ciel hissed as the liquid stung, but once Sebastian had finished doctoring the wound he had to admit he felt much better.

"Well, come on then. We shouldn't stay here much longer."

"The radio's quiet." Sebastian looked back to gaze inquisitively at his master.

"Bocchan?"

"It's quiet. It buzzed before that thing attacked us… and it was loud a moment ago while you were… out fighting more of those _things_. Now it's quiet." Sebastian thought about it.

"It could be possible that those monsters emit a frequency that can be picked up by the device… perhaps it would be useful to take with us." Ciel nodded, and slipped the radio into his shorts pocket. He couldn't find Sebastian's jacket.

"Ready?" Ciel looked back to the mirror. He saw himself, Sebastian, and ugly green carpet.

"Yes."


	3. Exciting Underground Tours

_Standard Disclaimers Apply_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two – Exciting Underground Tours<strong>

* * *

><p>The tunnel floors creaked and groaned under the travelers' weight. The further they traveled into the tunnels, the less of the metal tile they saw. Instead, the floor had been replaced with a rusty grate, through which Ciel could see deep red caverns extending below. Every so often, a flicker of flame could be spotted.<p>

"That must lead all the way down to the mines," Sebastian mused, picking his way along the dank, red walls. He kept Ciel pinned close to his hip, and for once the boy wasn't complaining. The radio had been quiet, but that didn't mean they hadn't seen some freaky shit. They had barely even turned the first corner when the floors and walls began to move; black ooze leaked out like slugs and traveled towards them. They had dashed down the corridor, reached a hairpin turn, skidded through it, and were face to face with a mangled body hanging upside down from the grated ceiling. Its face had been horribly disfigured, and the bandages wrapped loosely around its body were rotted and falling off. The whirring and clanking of the large, rusted fan in the room covered the sounds of Ciel's retching, and Sebastian had to all but carry him from the chamber. They traveled without incident for a while, the horrid ambience and clanking of far off machinery the only hints of foul play. Until that little girl…

* * *

><p><em>They only saw her for a moment. Ciel had cast a furtive glance over his shoulder, and saw a small girl with dark hair dashing through the hall behind him. He began to tug Sebastian forward as she zipped around the corner, but a sick squelching sound stopped him in his tracks.<em>

_"Bocchan?"_

_"Someone… someone was there…" he pointed a shaky hand at the corner they had just rounded._

_"Go… go see…" Sebastian nodded, and quietly slipped around the wall. Ciel stood by himself in the rusted tunnel for a few moments, eyes darting about and jumping at beetles scurrying across the floor. He heard a slow, scraping nose to his left, and leapt towards the far wall. He saw nothing._

_'This… was stupid…' Decision made, he hastily followed after his butler, flitting around the bend in the tunnel. Sebastian was in the middle of the room, examining a blood pool that had definitely not been there before._

_"Bocchan!" He stood up frantically. "What happened? Did it see you?" He dashed over to Ciel, grasping his shoulders and peering desperately into his eye._

_"Sebastian, what the hell are you talking about?" His butler stared at him confusedly._

_"The trail…" Sebastian gestured to the blood pool. Ciel could see them now, the drag marks. Something had pulled a body away from the scene, with, if the pools here and there were anything to go by, slow, lumbering movements. The heavy blood trail followed the path the two had taken before, leading directly to where Ciel had been waiting only a moment ago, then just… disappeared,_

_Shaken, Ciel tried to find the strength to hold himself together._

_"We… we should move on." Ciel very pointedly did not look at the trail of blood as they left the room._

* * *

><p>Now, the two were carefully edging their way along a filthy wall, avoiding the gaping chasm to the right of the flimsy grated floor. Ciel knew he stank of blood and filth, not to mention vomit. He just wanted to go home and take a nice, hot bath… Sebastian's hand gripped him a little tighter about the shoulders, and he shuffled in a bit closer. He crinkled his nose in mild annoyance. Here he was, covered in blood, black slime, and god knows what kind of bacteria. He knew he smelled rank and foul. On the other hand, his butler, covered in pretty much the same stuff, still smelled as he always did; a warm, spicy fragrance radiated from his skin like heat, accompanied by an undertone of musk that made Ciel feel drowsy and lightheaded. He closed his eyes, drifting along obliviously beside his butler. Sebastian's scent reminded him of the manor, of his solid oak writing desk, of the plush carpeting and the heavy curtains around his bed. How he long to be curled up on those downy pillows beneath his large comforter, a warm heating pan down by his feet…<p>

"Bocchan!"

Ciel launched back into reality just in time to feel the metal grating beneath his feet give way. His hand shot up towards his butler, but Sebastian's left arm had been caught against the wall with a long, black tendril protruding from one of its many fissures. The panic Ciel saw in Sebastian's eyes as his butler watched his free hand fall just short of Ciel's grasp frightened him more than any of their abnormal encounters so far. A sickening feeling lurched in Ciel's stomach as he felt their fingertips met briefly, larger digits brushing against soft pads, and then there was nothing. Nothing beneath his feet, nothing between his fingers.

Frantic, he reached out for whatever support he could find. A strangled yell escaped his throat when, at the last minute, his fingers closed painfully around the mangled, rusted edge of the grating in front of the collapse. As his body jerked to a halt, yanking on his weak arm, his weight proved too much for the decaying metal. The platform gave out a pained squeal as the steel tore from the wall; the ribbon of scaffolding curved towards the chasm, pulling Ciel further out and away from Sebastian.

A wave of familiarity washed over the young Earl Phantomhive. He closed his eyes, flashes of images and sounds dancing around his brain. The sound of creaking metal, one arm's muscles straining as blood stained his shirt, and a nursery rhyme…

Sebastian snarled and pulled against the creature tying him to the wall, but its strength seemed to be on par with his. Driven frantic by his master's precarious situation, the demon thrashed against the slim tendril, making no further progress than a few tears in his shirt. He gnashed his teeth, preparing to bite the damn thing off of him, when a tinny, garbled noise began to waft through the air. Pausing, Sebastian looked towards his dangling charge. The radio in Ciel's pocket was filling with static, but this time it wasn't only white noise. Tinkling notes, reminiscent of a music box that had long fallen into disrepair, were beginning to drift from its speakers. The jumbled sounds slowly wound themselves into a pattern that seemed familiar, even if it was garbled and out of key.

There was something else, something Ciel was struggling to remember.

* * *

><p><em>London Bridge is falling down…<em>

* * *

><p>'What was it,' he thought to himself, beginning to hum along with the tune in his head. 'There is something I'm forgetting, something very important…'<p>

* * *

><p><em>Falling down…<em>

* * *

><p>The scene being played before him struck a chord in Sebastian's mind.<p>

"Bocchan! Can you hang on until the count of ten?"

"Yes!" Ciel called back, keeping his eyes tightly shut, ignoring how his heavy body loomed over the great chasm.

* * *

><p><em>Falling down…<em>

* * *

><p>"One!" A vicious snarling noise erupted from what remained of the platform behind him, and a cold shiver ran up his spine.<p>

* * *

><p><em>London Bridge is falling down…<em>

* * *

><p>"Two!" A pained squealing filled the room, and Ciel's vision swam in and out as his nose filled with the smell of copper. Red ran into black, black ran into red, seconds and minutes seemed one and the same, and <em>god<em> his arm hurt…

* * *

><p><em>My…<em>

* * *

><p>"Eight!" Were they on eight already? Ciel couldn't remember hearing the other numbers. Steel and rust bit into his hand as he felt his grip begin to slip.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Fair…<em>

* * *

><p>"Nine!" A steady, thumping beat pounded through his brain.<p>

* * *

><p><em>La-dy<em>

* * *

><p>"Ten!" A screeching pain ripped through Ciel's head and he screamed, clutching at his right eye with free hand. His left, still gripping the metal terrace, spasmed, and as the steel bit and slid into his skin he felt himself lose grip and begin to fall. A warm hand clasped around his wrist, and Ciel's relieved exhalation shuddered throughout his entire body. Sebastian, standing on the warped platform, left sleeve shredded in several places, pulled his master up gently. He wrapped one arm around Ciel's back, half-carrying him until they were off of the warped platform and back in the tunnels, with solid earth beneath their feet.<p>

Shaking, Ciel slid to the ground at his butler's feet. Sebastian knelt beside him, one hand threading through his hair, the other kneading at his sore shoulder.

"It's come out of joint," he mumbled, more to himself than the shaking boy in front of him. "I need you to hold still, this may hurt for a moment." Sebastian placed one palm behind Ciel's left shoulder, the other he laid gently on the boy's collarbone. In one swift movement he brought his two hands in towards each other, and with one half-hearted yelp from Ciel the bone popped back where it belonged. He tentatively rolled his shoulder, and was rewarded with a gasp and a spark of pain shooting down his arm.

"It won't feel quite right for a while," Sebastian softly chided. Thinking for a moment, he reached up to his tie, and with a quick flick of his wrist had it sliding out of its half-Windsor with the quiet swish of silk against fabric. He tied the two ends into a loose knot, and, cradling Ciel's arm, he wrapped up the appendage in the makeshift sling.

"Thanks…" Ciel mumbled quietly, still a bit shaken up after nearly plummeting into the mines below. Sebastian let out shaky breath, running his left hand along the young boy's cheek. Ciel jumped at the touch, not used to feeling his butler's hand without the signature white glove. Sebastian's skin was soft, in spite of the dried blood caking around it, and its pale white tone stood out against the dingy cloth wrapped around his insignia. Through the gaping, bloody tears in his shirt-sleeve, Ciel caught a glimpse of mangled flesh.

"Gave you a run for your money, huh?" He jibed half-heartedly.

"They seem to be growing stronger," Sebastian replied, voice laced with hesitance. "Even I am having trouble. It seems they are armed to defend against, or even… repress, any sort of supernatural attacks or abilities. Only brute strength or some sort of physical attack seems to have any effect whatsoever."

"Oh. Well. Thank goodness you're fully capable of excessive force," Ciel delivered flatly.

"Be that as it may, it might be prudent to pick up some sort of weapon along the way. Speaking of which," Sebastian sighed, standing up and going through the motions of wiping the dust from his slacks.

"We really should be on our way." Ciel reluctantly agreed, swaying as he stood. Sebastian caught him about the waist with one arm, but the human pushed it away.

"I'm fine; I don't need to be coddled. Let's move." Sebastian laughed to himself as his young master strode impudently ahead, but still hung back far enough to be easily within arm's reach. Sebastian took pride in his contracted. There was no way the boy was at ease with any of the gruesome sights they had encountered, impossible for him to already be over his brush with death, and still he moved proudly forward, doing what had to be done.

'No less from the head of the house of Phantomhive,' Sebastian mused, thinking on Ciel's own words. The demon then shook his head, paying much closer attention to the boy in order to avoid a repeat performance of the last few minutes. For awhile, they traveled in nervous silence. The only sounds in the tunnel were the dripping of the walls and the echoing of their footsteps, leaving Ciel's heart thrumming in his ears. His fingertips felt as if they were on fire, and the skin on his palm was nearly shredded. He fought back the tears welling in his eyes, thankful that his hand had been left mostly numb.

"Is everything alright, Bocchan?" Ciel quickly closed his fist, wincing, and shook his head.

"It's fine." Sebastian sighed, quickening his stride only a bit to come to a stop in front Ciel.

"Show me." Reluctant fingers stretched out, showing Sebastian the torn flesh of the palm. Shaking his head, he reached into his slacks and removed a small green box.

"I found another of these in a side tunnel. There was nothing in it strong enough for your shoulder, but we can at least put something around your hand." Ciel hissed a bit as the antiseptic worked its way under his skin, but the stinging soon stopped and Sebastian wrapped a small strip of gauze around his palm. A strange giggle pulled from the boy. Sebastian looked at him warily.

"Bocchan?"

"Look, we match." The butler looked to his own left hand, cloth strip still tied snugly around his contract symbol. Sebastian let out a breathy laugh, then clasped Ciel's hand in his.

"We do, don't we.

"I think," Ciel continued in a pensive voice. "We match rather well." A quiet settled over the two, one small hand ensconced in a larger, stronger palm. Then the soft buzz of static welled up in the air.

"Stay quiet," Sebastian needlessly hissed as he pulled Ciel against his chest, swiftly backing the two up against the wall. For a few seconds they waited, perfectly still against the soft dirt of the tunnel's embankment. From the shadows, a lumbering figure haltingly stumbled forth. It was draped in stained, white fabric, and what appeared to be hair was wrapped up into a fraying bun. There was no face; instead, there was a mound of decaying flesh. Recognizing the creature's inability to see, Sebastian quickly switched the radio off, and motioned for Ciel to stay completely silent. Nonetheless, the halting creature came to a stop in front of the pair, and Ciel could smell the horrid odor oozing from beneath its skin. At this distance, even in the dim lighting he could make out the familiar red cross adorning the once white hat atop its head. Ciel gasped, and with a jerk the nurse's head turned to face him.

Sebastian quickly covered Ciel's mouth with his bound hand, but the damage was done. The faceless creature loomed in front of them, and a gaping hole opened up where the mouth should have been. It dripped with the same greenish saliva as the creature at the diner. Closer and closer it drew to them, until barely an inch was left between the nurse's face and Sebastian's own. The butler didn't breathe, thankful that the monster hovered in front of him as opposed to Ciel; the fact that Sebastian didn't need to respirate negated any chance his exhalation would be felt or heard by the abomination.

Minutes ticked by. Ciel breathed shakily into Sebastian palm, and the demon held stock still. Shaking its deformed head, the creature stepped back, confused. It swept its sightless face back and forth, but, with no sound issuing forth from either of the two intruders, was unable to confirm their presence.

With jolting movements, it took a step back the way it had come, and then shook to a stop. The monster stood at a dead stand still in the middle of the narrow passage. It seemed content with having investigated the source of the disturbance, and finding nothing. Its shoulders slumped, and it looked as though the nurse had settled down for the long haul, ready to guard the passage against any more intruders. Slowly, Sebastian released his hold on Ciel, keeping one finger pressed to his lips as he felt about the debris littering the floor. Closing his fingers around the edge of a sturdy railing, the last reminder of the twisted metal bridge, Sebastian ripped it from its bolts and welding with one swift tug. The nurse swiveled around with a roar as the metal screamed, but it was too late. Ciel stumbled as Sebastian finished slamming the metal pole into its skull, sickened by the whole ordeal. The smell of death pervaded his senses as Sebastian lead him away, further down the tunnels. The soft padding of their feet on soft earth soon gave way to the _click, click_ of linoleum beneath their heels.

The flooring was filthy, and the walls peeling, but they were out of the tunnels beneath the city. However, the two companions now found themselves staring into a dead end; there was no passage out save for a rusted, decrepit looking elevator, looming in front of them like a gallows. An overturned wheelchair spun abandoned in the corner of the room.

"This must lead into Alchemilla Hospital, I saw the markers for it when we entered the city."

"Why would they have a hospital connected to these sorts of tunnels," Ciel asked incredulously. "I can't see what use it could have been."

"They're called 'death tunnels,'" Sebastian replied, inspecting the outside of the elevator. "When hospitals have dead and dying patients, they would wheel them out through these underground passages so as not to stir the other patients into a frenzy."

"That would explain the nurse," Ciel murmured, coming to stand beside his butler. "Is it safe?"

"It doesn't seem we have much choice," Sebastian sighed, pressing the call button. The rusted doors opened slowly, the metal groaning with every inch. The doors opened to reveal a small, run-of-the-mill elevator. Its cleanliness stood out against the dankness of the underground; it appeared to be well taken care of, and still in good repair. Ciel eyed it with something akin to hope, Sebastian with an air of trepidation. After stepping inside, the metal doors slid smoothly shut, without so much as a murmur. As the elevator began to rise, complete with bright lighting and cheerful music, Sebastian felt that their trouble had only just started.


End file.
